Bottle-closure.



G. F. ELLIOTT.

BOTTLE CLOSURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1915.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

an s'rarns Parana cruise.

GEORGE F. ELLIOTT, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

BOTTLE-CLOSURE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. Ecmo'rr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Closures; and I do hereby declare the following 'to be a full, clear, and exact. description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

My present" invention relates to improvements in closures for bottles, and it is especially intended to provide a simple, cheap and eflicient bottle closure which'will hold firmly against the ordinary pressures to which such closures are subjected from the generation of gas in the interior ofthe bottle, and which will require less tin or other metal used in the metal capsule forming part of the closure; and which may be readily applied with a suitable tool made for the purpose, and which may bereadily removed with almost any of the bottle opening devices now generally used.

My invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar parts are indicated by similar reference symbols throughout; the several views.

Figure 1 shows a section through the neck of the bottle, with the closure securely in place as when the bottle is closed and sealed;

Fig. 2 shows a metal blank used in con structing the metal cup-shaped cap forming part of the closure; Fig. 3 shows the blank after it has been passed through the forming die, and is in shape to receive the yielding disk or disks, and to be applied to the neck of the bottle; Fig.4 shows a transverse section through the device shown in Fig. 3, the yielding disks being shown in dotted lines; and Figs. 5 and 6 show two yielding disks adapted to be mounted in the cap and to form a packing therefor, when the closure is applied as shown in Fig. 1.

A represents the neck of the bottle, which may be of any preferred shape, provided with an annular lip a and an annular groove at below the said lip.

B represents the metal cap forming'the exterior portion of the bottle closure, which cap is formed of a metal blank as shown in Fig. 1, and in which 1 repfresentsthe body portion provided with a plurality of tabs 2 projecting beyond the sectors 3, which Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Application filed May 15, 1915. Serial No. 28,367.

' sectors 3 form part of the circumference of a circle 6 whose center is the center of the blank. This blank is of ordinary sheet tin, or other suitable metal, originally iii the form of a fiat plate as shown in Fig. 2. This blank is formed in a die to the shape shown in Fig. 3 by bending about the circle 6, forming a cup with substantially cylindrical side walls 7 and tabs 6, which walls and tabs are creased along the lines 4, and with the sides 5 of the tabs form a short V- shaped lug. The segmental circular surface 3 of Fig. 2 is thus creased as at 4 and is contracted, as at 3 the parts being in the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Moreover, the center" of the plate is preferably cupped inward slightly along the dotted lines 7 of Fig. 2 to form the bulge b in the bottom of the metal cap, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Into this metalcap thus formed,- one or more disks of soft yielding material are placed, such as cork, or the birch bark disks described in my application, Serial No. 875511, filed December 4, 1914; butpreferably I use two disks C and C, the inner disk C being located next to the metal of the cap, and is preferably made of birch bark which may be either as taken from the tree, or may be boiled in an; alkaline solu-- tion, then boiled in fresh water solution, and then dried under pressure, which apparently renders the bark more elastic, and at the same time prevents it from exfoliating as occurs with the natural bark. Outside of this birch bark disk C I place a disk C which is made of the rind of the ordinary corn stalk after the stalk is dried. This stalk is steamed or boiled, and is then split open and the pith removed, and is rolled out to forma fiat sheet. It is then cut into suitable disks and is put into the metal cap with the smooth side of the rind outward, permitting a very fine smooth. surface to engage the neck of the bottle.

By having the birch bark disk beneath'the corn stalk disk just referred to, a thin packing of sufficient elasticity is secured, which is liquid-tight and prevents the liquid from getting in contact withthe metal'of the cap;

scribed. After the disks are inserted, the cap is ready for'application to the bottle, and may be slipped on and then by the use of a suitable die or tool the sides 55 of the tabs 6 are forced toward each other, which draws the edges 3 under the lip a of the bottle neck, and also the sides of the tabs are caused to project under the annular'lip a, forming pairs of engaging shoulders, projecting beneath, and firmly locking the bottle closure to the bottle. Thus the locking segments 3 are each caused to engage beneath the lip on the bottleneck throughout their entire length. While I have shown four of these tabs 1), any suitable number may be provided; preferably not less than 3, nor more than 6. These tabs furnish the locking means for holding the cap on the bottle neck, and by having them spaced apart, as shown, a material saving of metal cut away from the blank between said tabs is effected, and less metal is used in forming the metal capsule than with the present capsule now in use, in which the blank forming the capsule is struck with a uniform radius equal to the maximum radius of the parts 2 shown in Fig. 2 of'the drawings. .The arrangement of these projecting tabs 5 thus provides suitable locking arms for securing the closure to the bottle, and at the same time saves the metal cut away from between said arms, aswould be most clearly evident from Figs. 3 and 4.

It will be obvious that various modifications might be made in the shape of the blank and of the tabs, and also in the packing disks contained in the finished cap, which may be used without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A bottle closure comprising a metal cup-shaped cap having its sides substantially parallel to the axis of the bottle, with tabs projecting from said sides, said tabs being bent in the form of V-shaped internally tapered troughs, and being adapted when compressed to contract the periphery of the edge of the cap and to grip beneath the glass lip on the bottle, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. A bottle closure comprising a metal cup-shaped cap having its sides substantially parallel to the axis of the bottle with tabs projecting from said sides, said tabs being bent in the form of V-shaped internally tapered troughs, and being adapted when compressed to contract the periphery of the edge of the cap and to grip beneath the glass lip of the bottle, with yielding packing means mounted in said cup-shaped cap, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. A bottle closure comprising a metal cup-shaped cap having its sides substantially parallel to the axis of the bottle, with tabs projecting from said sides, said tabs being bent in the form of V-shaped internally tapered troughs, and being adapted when compressed to contract the periphery of the edge of the cap and to grip beneath the glass lip on the bottle, with a plurality of yielding disks of packing material contained in said cap, substantially as and for the purposes described. a

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

GEORGE F. ELLIOTT. 

